Body-cooler and fever-reducer



(No Model.) 2 Sheds-Sheet 1.. E. B. MAGILL.

BODY COOLER AND FEVER REDUGER. No. 414,559. Patented Nov. 5, 1889.

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BODY COOLER AND FEVER REDUGBR.

Patented Nov. 5, 1889.

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UNITED STATES FFICE.

PATENT EDWIN BELMONT MAGILL, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

BODY-COOLER AND FEVER-REDUCER.

SEECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,559, dated November 5, 1889.

Application filed July 9, 1888.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN BELMONT MA- GILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Body-Coolers and Fever-Reducers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates, as hereinafter set forth, to a novel device for cooling various portions of the human body in the reduction of fevers and for other purposes, and to a frame or support for adjust-ably supporting the cooling device in appropriate position relatively to the body.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved body-cooler and fever-reducer of a shape suitable for employment in cooling various portions of the body. Fig, 2 represents a longitudinal section thereof, taken on the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section taken on the line b b of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a detail view, partly broken away, of one of the side boxes or ice-receptacles and air-coolers. Fig. 5 represents myframe or support for adj ustably supporting the cooler at any desired altitude above the body, and so as to adapt the same for application to different parts of the body and to people of yarying size, this figure also representing the manner in which the cooler is adj ustably supported thereon.

In the drawings I have representedbut one form or shape of cooler, theform shown being one adapted for use in cooling and reducing fever in the several parts of the human anatomy generally. In some cases, however, it may be found advantageous to modify somewhat the cont-our of either one or more of the respective sections of the device as, for instance, to curve either of the sections so as to more readily conform to the shape of the portion of the body to be treated; but as the general construction of the apparatus would be followed in its essential characteristics, and such changes in shape would readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and 11av= ing knowledge of the specific requirements in individual cases, I have not deemed it neces sary to illustrate herein such modifications in contour as may be made without departing from the spirit of my present invention.

The form shown in the drawings herewith is one especially adapted for use 'in cooling the abdomen and other parts of the trunk or body of a person, though it is equally well adapted in the form shown for cooling the limbs and also the neck and head.

The ice-receptacle and air-cooler consist of a central section 1, which may be either of substantially square form, as shown, or of circular, oblong, curved, or other shape, according to requirement, and a plurality of other ice-receptacles and air-coolers suspended from and supported upon said central icereceptacle with capability of ready attachment to and removal therefrom, and also of horizontal adjustment relatively thereto, as will be presently explained.

The central ice-chamber and air-cooler 1 consists of a tray or open-topped box having vertical plane 'outer side walls 3 and end walls 4:, a bottom 5, and a central recess or opening 6, guarded by upwardly-extending perforated walls 7. \Nithin this central re cess or opening 6 is another ice-receivingbox or chamber and air-cooler 8, also having perforated vertical side walls 9.

10 represents a hood, which rests upon the top edges of the side walls 7 and 9 and extends across and covers the air-space 11 between the same, said hood being providedon each side with outwardly-flaring depending flanges or aprons 122, which extend across the perforations or wire-gauze 13 in the vertical walls 7 and 9, for the purpose of fending the ice contained within the respective ice-chambers l and 8 from said perforations and form ing a space intervening the ice and the side walls 7 and 9, through which air, after being cooled by its passage over the ice within said chambers, passes to the patient. By means of these flanges or aprons the water resultant from the melting of the ice will be deflected from the perforations in the side walls and prevented from passing therethrough, and, as naturally the cooled air will seek the lowest point of exit, said aprons form a flue along which thecooledair will pass to and through the perforated side walls to that portion of the body to which they are adjacent. 114 represents a waste pipe or tube connecting the chambers 1 and 8, through which the waste Water resultant from the melting of the ice in the chamber 8 passes to theicechamber 1, and 15 represents a similar water-discharge pipe extending outwardly from the ice-chamber 1, and to which a rubber or other tube or pipe 16 is connected for conveying the waste water to a similar receptacle. This tube or pipe 16 may, if desired, be carried to one of the side or end ice-holders, to be presently described, so as to discharge the waste water therein, and thus reduce the number of waste-water receptacles employed. gFromor adjacent to the respective corners .of either or each end or side of the outericechamber 1, and either from the upper orother suitable portion thereof, extend horizontally wiresorrods 17, upon which sideor end icereeeiving vessels 18 are-removably supported.

A convenient mode of suspending these vessels 1 8 is represented in the.drawings,where I in sleeves or tubes 19 extend from the upper edges of said vessels, so as .to permit of their being readily slipped on or 0H said rods, though of course said rods may extend from any other portion than the top of the chamber ,1. These ,rods are of a length to permit of the side ice-chambers being adjusted in position in any desired proximity to the central .chamber 1 to accommodate the size of cise form and shape of said side or endcham- 5 bers illustrated in the drawings, I find that forma ,verydesirable one, as by constructing the lower portion of the outer wall 20 of downwardly-taperin g form 21 the waste water from the ice within said chambers 18 will readily flow down to the bottom and dischargethrough the exitpipe 22,t0 which one end 'ofa rubber or other tube 23 is connected, through which the waste water is carried off.

The inner walls 24 of the side or end chambers .18 .are of a shape to permit of their resting snugly, when desired, against the adjacent face orwall of the central ice-chamber and, air-cooler 1.

"In the drawings '1 have shown the central icevchamber and air-cooler of square form and the side chambers of oblong form; but the shapes thereof may be varied without de-.

vtion of the adjacent section. the respectivejsections can be readily conparting from the fundamental details of construction of my invention.

25 represents an ice-supporting grating within each of the chambers 18 a suitable distance above the bottoms thereof. In the drawings I have represented said gratings as just above the taperingbottom portion of the outer walls, though they may be arranged in any other desired position.

26 represents air-passages in the inner walls 24, a suitable distance, preferably, below the ice-supporting gratings 25. These air-passages may be either formed directly in the walls 24 or a slot or opening may be formed 27 represents a hood or apron extending acrossand depending below theair-passages and within the ice-chambers 18 ,so vastoguard said passages from contact with wateror ice and prevent water passing through .said airpassages. These hoodsor aprons -27-extend at a suitable angle, so as to form fluesup whichthe cooled air passing down through the ice will pass to and through the air-pasfectual shield forsaidair-passagesand fend them from contact with either ice or .water.

28 represents hooks extending fromtheirespective endsof the end or side chambers 18, and 29 represents a wire or other suitable frame or support for supporting theair-coolin each wall and covered with wire or other sages 26, and so as also to constitute anefing device in position above or relative tothe patient. In the drawings-I have represented this frame as composedof foursections,;each

having eyed sides 30, and an outwardly-ex tending foot 31, for supporting ,and bracing the frame in position. 'Eachadjacentpairof sections of this frame'is removably-connected and braced together by a.hooked-braee-rod- 32, which hooks intoan eye 33 on the lower por- Bythis means nected together and disconnectedfrom ,each other, while also furnishing asecure bracingconnection to the several members of the frame.

g -;A convenient, ready, and inexpensive 1nan-- ner' of constructing this; frame is to form the respective sections each of a single length of wire bent or doubled over to form the side walls 30 of a distance apart equalto the width transversely of the side or end ice-chambers 18, and with the wire forming saidiside walls curved or bent at suitable distances .apart to form eyes 34, with which the hooks28 engage to supportthe.ice-chambers thereon. By constructing the frame29 with eyed supports 34 and providing the end chambers 18 with hooks 28 it will be observed that the ice chambers can be supported at anydesired height and their vertical adjustment readily secured atany time.

WVhere wire is employedin-the construction of the framesections, the free ends thereof arebent over into outwardly-curved form-to form the feet 31, and their extreme ends then connected together by soldering or other suitable means.

In lieu of forming the respective sections of the frame of wire, they may each be formed by casting or of sheet or other metal or material, as desired, as long as they are provided with means, substantially as described, for affording a vertically-adjustable support for the ice-chambers.

If desired, the end chambers 18 may be provided with eyes and the frame with hooks to engage therewith.

In such cases as may be desired either one or both of the chambers 18 may be employed independently of the central chamber 1. Such application and use would be desirable where it is desired to cool or reduce fever in side or vertical portions of the anatomy and not treat the adjacent horizontal portion thereof. Furthermore, in lieu of providing the side or end chambers 18 with suspension devices, such as described to connect the same with the frame, such suspension devices may be formed on or attached to the central chamber 1 and the frame engaged therewith, so as to aiford a central support to the several chambers or permit of the central chamber alone being employed, as may be deemed necessary in individual cases.

That I claim is*' 1. A body-cooling device consisting of a central ice-receptacle having guarded air-passages therein, one or more ice-receptacles attached to said central ice-receptacle at the sides and having guarded air-passages therein, suspension devices, as hooks, eyes, or pins, extending from the side receptacles, and a frame adapted to engage said suspension devices and support the respective receptacles with capability of vertical adj ustmentthereon.

2. A body-cooling device consisting of a central ice-receptacle having guarded air-passages in its walls, one or more ice-receptacles removably supported on said central receptacle with capability of horizontal adjustment thereon and having guarded air-passages in the walls thereof, a supporting-frame, and suspension devices, as hook-and-eye connecsages in its side Walls and an apron shielding said air-passages from ice and water contact.

4. The ice-holder 1 herein described, consisting of an outer ice-receptacle having airpassages in its walls, and a central ice-holder having air-passages in its side walls and of lessicircumference than and arranged within the'central portion of the outer ice-holder, and a hood connecting the adjacent walls of the respective ice-holders and covering the space between the same, and having depend ing flanges for the purpose of guarding the air-passages in the respective ice-receptacles from ice and water contact, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A body-cooler consisting of an ice receptacle having plane outer walls and Walls having airpassages therein, and a central ice-receiving box having airpassages in its side walls, a hood connecting the air-conducting Walls and depending across and guarding said air-passages, horizontal rods extending from the exterior of said ice-receptacle, and one or more ice-receptacles adapted to be removably supported upon said rods with capability of horizontal adjustment thereon, and having an ice-supporting grating and flangeguarded air-passages in the inner walls thereof, a sectional frame having a vertical series of supports thereon, and devices, as hooks or 'eyes, upon said ice receptacle or receptacles to engage the supports on the frame, whereby aivertically-adj ustable support is aiforded the body-cooler.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN BELMONT MAGILL. Witnesses:

THEODORE RODOLF, D. OSULLIvAN. 

